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The controversy over the Rolex watches that American content creator SteveWillDoIt gifted to the players of the Mexican National Team has come to an end. This Friday, 'El Tri' announced on its X account that the players, by mutual agreement, decided to return the gifts. This followed concerns from fans and media outlets that Javier Aguirre's team could be sanctioned by FIFA due to the origin of these watches.
Here we explain why SteveWillDoIt gifted the Rolexes to the players, what the FIFA Code of Ethics establishes, and what the Mexican National Team said about the decision to return them.
¿Por qué SteveWillDoIt regaló Rolex a los jugadores de la Selección Mexicana?
SteveWillDoIt is an American content creator known for performing extreme challenges, giving away luxury items, and sharing high-value sports bets. Therefore, it was no surprise that he placed a million-dollar bet on the match between Mexico and Ecuador.
Through videos posted on his social media, the influencer revealed that he gifted Rolex watches to the players of the Mexican National Team as a thank you for helping him win a $2 million bet after 'El Tri' defeated Ecuador 2-0 and advanced to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
In the recordings, SteveWillDoIt is seen inside the Mexican National Team's High Performance Center (CAR) with a briefcase full of Rolex watches, while the footballers choose the one they want to take.
¿Cuánto cuestan los Rolex que SteveWillDoIt regaló al Tri?
Although SteveWillDoIt did not reveal the cost of the watches given to the footballers, Rolex models can cost anywhere from 110,000 Mexican pesos to over 3.5 million pesos, depending on the collection, materials, and special editions.
La Selección Mexicana confirma que los jugadores devolvieron los Rolex
Following the controversy, the Mexican National Team informed through X that the players decided to return the watches to the content creator.
"The SNM informs that, by mutual agreement, our players decided to return to content creator @stevewilldoit the watches that, on his own initiative, he had gifted them."
¿Por qué la Selección Mexicana devolvió los Rolex?
After the videos were made public, users on social media pointed out that accepting the watches could represent a problem for the Mexican National Team. This is because Article 26 of the FIFA Code of Ethics prohibits persons bound by the code from participating, directly or indirectly, in betting, gambling, or holding interests in companies related to these activities.
In case of non-compliance with this article, the regulations contemplate sanctions that may include a financial fine and a ban on carrying out soccer-related activities for a maximum period of three years.
Fans also cited the section "Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits" of the FIFA Code of Ethics, which states that persons bound by the regulations may only accept gifts when they:
- Tienen un valor simbólico o irrelevante.
- No buscan influir en decisiones o actos relacionados con sus funciones.
- No generan beneficios económicos indebidos u otras ventajas.
- No provocan un conflicto de intereses.
The regulations also point out that if a breach of this provision is determined, the sanction may include a minimum fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (CHF) and the return of the gift. Furthermore, it contemplates a ban on exercising soccer-related activities for a period of up to two years, which could be extended to five years in the most serious cases or in the event of recidivism.
For the moment, FIFA has not issued an official position on the case, so it is unknown if the organization will review the situation or if the return of the watches will be sufficient to consider the controversy closed.
[Publicidad]